Members of Delta
Company, 50th Main Support Battalion,
pose for a group photograph after arriving at their base
somewhere in Iraq. Since the transfer of authority between
the 701st and the 50th on Feb. 5, the battalion has
successfully conducted more than 200 missions and driven
more than 300,000 miles. One of the most difficult
operations ever planned and executed by the battalion was
the 590-mile Ground Assault Convoy from Kuwait to Iraq.

The Convoy was executed under the cover of darkness,
something the battalion had not trained for, and was
compounded with dismal road conditions, along with
awkward intersections and turns. All this was accomplished
with no injuries, accidents or loss of equipment. Photo
courtesy 50th Main Support Battalion.

Cookies for the Troops

The Girl Scouts of
Troop 310, Service Unit
Council, Camden County, delivered the highly
prized Girl Scout Cookies for the troops March
6.

To date, 1-150th General Support Aviation
Battalion Family Readiness Group and New
Jersey National Guard Family Programs has
shipped more than 105 cases of cookies to
deployed troops in Iraq. Photo courtesy 1-150th
Family Readiness Group.

New Commander at 57th

Lt. Col. John DiNapoli (left) accepts the 57th
Troop Command
guidon from Brig. Gen. Frank Carlini (right), Deputy
Commander Joint Force Headquarters - New Jersey during
Troop Command's Change of Command ceremony at the
National Guard Armory in Lawrenceville March 6. During
the same ceremony Lt. Col. DiNapoli was promoted to
colonel. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Stephenson, NJDMAVA/PAO

Mail Call

One of the most holy of military duties is
the collecting and disbursing of mail. Performing that duty is
(left to right) Capt. Eric Rautenberg, Sgt. Donald Gregorowicz,
and 1st Sgt. Jack Cipolla of the 150th General Aviation Support
Battalion. Photo by Lt. Col. Mark Preston, 150th GSAB.

Financier Recieves Purple Heart

Sgt. David Michaels, 150th Finance Detachment,
received the Purple Heart from Maj. Gen. Joseph Taluto, Commander,
42nd Infantry Division. Sgt. Michaels was also presented a commanders
coin by Brig. Gen. Thomas Sullivan. Michaels is the first NJARNG
finance Soldier to receive the Purple Heart as the result of
wounds for duty in Iraq. Photo courtesy 350th Finance Detachment.

Chiefs Inducted

Six Chief Master Sergeants
were inducted in a ceremony at
the McGuire Officers’ Club April 2. (L-R) Chief Master
Sergeants' Carl Howard, Dominick Galione, Jean Perry,
Robert McCarty and Robert Hare of the 177th Fighter Wing. Not
pictured is Chief Master Sgt. Edward Rockhill, 108th
Air Refueling Wing. Photo by Chief Master Sgt. James
Leopardi. 177th Fighter Wing.

250th Meets 150th

At an undisclosed location in
Iraq, members of the 250th
Signal Battalion and 1-150th General Aviation Support
Battalion pose for a group photograph. Back row, l-r, Capt.
Joe Pipas, 2nd Lt. Wasyel Danysh, Cpl. Jeff Hiles and Sgt.
Steven Felmey. Front row, l-r, Sergeants' First Class Bert
Panfile and Sgt. 1st Class James Mannino.

All are former
full time employees of the J6 (Information Technologies)
deployed to Iraq. All are members of the 250th except for
2nd Lt. Danysh who is a member of the 1-150th. Photo
courtesy of the 250th Signal Battalion.

State Collects Vests for Troops

On April 11, Acting Governor Richard
J. Codey joined Brig
Gen Maria Falca-Dodson, Deputy Adjutant General, law
enforcement officials and other National Guard members
at the West Orange National Guard Armory to assist in
packing approximately 1,750 used bulletproof vests that
were collected as part of the Acting Governor’s Body Armor
Initiative. The vests are being shipped to troops in Iraq to
strengthen military vehicles against bombs. Acting Governor
Codey launched the initiative in January and established
drop off points for the vests at several of the state’s
National
Guard armories. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Mark Olsen.

Freedom Salute Honors 253rd

Members of the 253rd Transportation
Company
were honored March 19 at the Army National
Guard’s Freedom Salute Campaign held at the
Wildwood Convention Center. The troops were
honored at a breakfast and given various awards
(see photo) for their service. Command Sgt. Maj.
(Ret.) Michael Hughes received special recognition
for his groundbreaking work in setting up the New
Jersey National Guard's first Family Assistance
Center. The Freedom Salute Campaign is designed
to recognize Army National Guard soldiers, their
families, employers and others who have supported
them as they answered the call to duty in fighting
the Global War on Terrorism – both at home and
abroad. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Mark Olsen,
NJDMAVA/PA.